BigLaw Firms Hacked

Hackers infiltrated the systems of some of the nation’s top law firms, possibly to uncover information they could use for insider trade deals. Federal investigators are looking into the hacks, which occurred last summer and targeted Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP and other firms. The hackers are threatening to target more firms. The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI are examining the hacks, though at this time the Wall Street Journal reports that it isn’t clear what, if anything, was stolen. The legal industry is becoming a more frequent target for such attacks, with sophisticated criminals looking to confidential information. In January and February, security firm Flashpoint issued alerts to law firms warning of possible phishing campaigns, in which emails that appear legitimate allow hackers to access internal systems. The FBI also warned law firms of possible attacks in recent weeks.